Chapter 21: Reward
Athena seized the opportunity. Utilizing the 'Shadowstep Dance' technique, she reappeared behind the Orc Commander, her sword gleaming with an invisible aura. With a swift and precise strike, she severed the remaining tendons in its legs. The Orc Commander collapsed, unable to stand or retaliate.
The combined assault of Baron Alexander, Shirley, and Athena had crippled the formidable Orc Commander. However, the creature was not one to go down easily. Despite its injuries, it roared while kneeling and swung its massive sword with sheer brute force.
Baron Alexander, with his metallic Shield, blocked the attack, trying to demonstrate the durability of his defensive skill. But the next instant, he felt his whole hand went numb and stumbled multiple steps.
"Don't take its attack head-on, My Lord. It is unusually strong." Athena warned him.
'Thankfully, it was already in a crippled state. Otherwise, I might have been injured from that blow.' Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead.
Shirley, on the other hand, utilized her 'Inferno Blade Arts' to counter the Orc's strike, creating a clash of elemental forces.
Only Athena created a unique dark shield from time to time and made the Orc Commander suffer severe wounds on its neck and chest.
As the battle unfolded, Athena once again vanished into the shadows, preparing for another sneak attack. Her 'Shadow Stealth' made her nearly invisible to the Orc Commander's senses, allowing her to strike from unexpected angles.
The Orc Commander, now surrounded by powerful adversaries, fought with primal fury. It swung its sword with relentless determination, but each strike was deftly parried or dodged by the skilled trio.
The Orc Commander even went into some Berserk state and tried to stand up with bloodshot eyes. But all of a sudden, a shadow appeared before its eyes and completely blinded its vision. Next, Athena aimed at the Orc Commander's wrist and even made that mighty creature drop its gigantic sword.
When the sword fell on the ground, Baron, Shirley, and Athena didn't hesitate and attacked its vital points without any worry.
Athena attacked its nape from behind, Shirley stabbed its heart, and finally, Baron Alexander slammed his sword on its head. Although the Orc Commander struggled with the bloodthirsty look, it soon fell, taking its last breath.
"Inspector Athena defeated the Orc Commander! Kill the rest of the monsters!" Shirley didn't dare to let this achievement be stolen by Baron and shouted to make an announcement.
Following her shout, all the police officers and private mercenaries became more active and let out a cheerful roar while attacking the rest.
"I don't even have any plan on stealing your child's achievement," Baron grumbled as he noticed her scheme and shook his head.
After that, the trio joined other Elite Walkers and killed the remaining High-Rank Monsters first. Following that, they started killing the remaining monsters and ended the wave with much less causality.
"Take out the Magical Crystals and also invite someone from Goren's shop to dismantle the corpses. Particularly, the Orc Commander's corpse must have so much value for alchemists." Baron ordered.
Athena instantly thought of her little brother and decided to take the benefit.
"Wait, My Lord. I want the corpse of the Orc Commander." Her words surprised everyone.
"Do you know what you are asking, Athena? This is a most valuable thing in this hunt." One of the Elite Knights said coldly.
"But you didn't hunt it, didn't you, Mark? Even if Lord Baron didn't join the fight, she would have killed it by herself. No, she is the one who killed it." Shirley interjected, understanding Athena's intention in a moment.
Upon noticing that even Shirley was eying for the corpse, Baron Alexander couldn't help but fall into deep thoughts.
He knew the value of this Orc Commander's corpse than anyone else in this city. Although it hadn't fully evolved to become a magical beast, it had a unique physique. Its value was indeed immeasurable.
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'Moreover, the damage done by the monsters is far inferior than my family elders had expected. With this, we can't even get any compensation from the Royal Family.' A frown appeared on his face.
He slowly turned his attention towards the young policewoman who killed such a monster with some tactics.
'No. Even if Athena didn't use tactics, she would've killed it by herself as Shirley said.' He still recalled the scene where she took the blow of that Orc Commander and was astounded. He also recalled the skills she used during the battle and felt it was a profound Knight Technique.
'Even the Whitbard family doesn't have such knight technique. No, her technique might be as good as the Imperial Knight Technique.' Such a thought came across his mind.
All of a sudden, his attention was caught by the silver bracelet she was wearing. Even though it was normal for many people to wear silver bracelets, he strangely felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the symbol engraved on it.
It was the symbol of a unique winged serpent.
'Winged snake? Isn't it the symbol of the Royal Family? Could it be?' At that moment, he recalled certain information about the royal family's sword princess.
'She disappeared from the Palace 7 years ago due to unknown reasons and became a mystery in the whole Empire. But what's more strange thing was that the Emperor or the Royal Knights didn't even put any effort into searching for her. But still, many princes and even Nobles started looking for her to get a firm hold of her. If I can inform her whereabouts to one of the four Dukes or the two princes, I might even have a chance to become a Viscount or Count in the future.' But that thought soon disappeared as his attention was drawn to the fallen Orc Commander.
'If he asks wizards staying in this town to capture her in exchange for the Orc Commander's corpse, I can easily achieve it. No, I should refrain from joining any faction and lay low. Tsk, why am I thinking like some villain?' Also, he didn't want the corpse of Orc Commander to fall into the hands of Whitbird Elders.
'Forgot it, I can't antagonize a Royal Family member due to my greed. It would be best to conceal her identity from my family members too.' He was well aware of the corruption within his own family and sighed heavily.
After deep thinking, he shook his head and decided to help the young princess.
"You can take the Orc Commander's Corpse. But you won't get any other reward for participating in this wave." Baron said in a solemn tone and started to walk back to the town quietly. Although he suffered a big loss, he didn't regret it. For him, the most precious thing was not the Orc Commander's corpse but his favor for a member of Royalty.
As Baron left the battlefield, the remaining police officers helped the injured ones and even took the bodies of the unfortunate deceased ones back to the town.
At the same time, many members of the town's health department came and took care of the injured ones.
"So, what do you plan on with this corpse, Athena?" Shirley arrived closer to her and asked.
Athena made a chuckle and responded calmly.
"You know the answer already, Aunt. Should I go and bring that brat here?"
"No. It's too dangerous to let others know of his alchemic abilities. We should bring this corpse back to the house and then let his teacher take care of it." Shirley said after some deep thoughts.
After that, she went back to the town and brought back a large horse cart. With the help of other police officers, they put the corpse on the cart and drove it inside the town.
It soon turned into a sightseeing moment for all the commoners.
Even before entering the town through the northern gate, a large number of people gathered at the sides of the gate and welcomed them with shouts.
Athena's achievement in the battle had already spread everywhere as they shouted her name everywhere.
The crowd's cheers echoed through the town as Athena, Shirley, and the other police officers made their way through the streets, towing the Orc Commander's corpse. People gathered, expressing their gratitude and admiration for the police officers who had defended their home.
As they reached the town square, Baron Alexander joined them once again, and a temporary stage was set up for the heroes to address the townspeople.
Baron Alexander stepped forward, addressing the crowd, "Today, we faced a significant threat, but we stood united and emerged victorious. The courage displayed by our policemen, especially Athena, is commendable. This victory belongs to everyone in this town, and we should take pride in our collective strength."
The crowd cheered once more, and Baron gestured toward the Orc Commander's corpse, "This creature's demise is a testament to our resilience. Let us remember this day as a victory over adversity and a reminder that we are strong together."
Although his speech was short, everyone felt a sense of security and comfort.
As the celebration continued, Athena couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
After the commotion settled down, Athena and Shirley made their way back to Athena's house, pulling the cart with the Orc Commander's corpse behind them. The streets were still lively, with people discussing the battle and praising Athena's skills.
Not minding the neighbor's gazes, Athena and Shirley parked the cart in the yard and walked towards the house entrance.
As Athena was about to open the door, it slowly creaked open, and soon, a young kid, around 120 cm tall, peeked his head out.
A broad grin appeared on her face as she opened both her arms.
"Sister! Aunt! What happened?!" Raven shouted as he saw the bloodstains on their armor and weapons and hurriedly ran towards Shirley.
"Seriously? Why not jump into my arms for once?" Athena said with a sigh and turned her gaze towards the Orc Commander's corpse.
At that moment, Raven also looked at the gigantic Orc Commander's corpse, halted his footsteps, and shouted.
"Oh!! It's an Orc Commander's corpse! How did you get this, sister?" Raven asked as he walked closer to the corpse to take a closer look.